What an absolutely spectacular day! We spent all day out on a beautiful boat, or snorkelling in the water. And it was something I think we’ll always remember.
We headed down to the Reef Terminal at about 7:30 this morning, and were greeted at the check in desk by a really friendly staff member. We headed down along the marina walkways to the Passions of Paradise boat. I honestly can’t remember what made me choose these guys to do our tour with – I think I looked at a few different tours and looked at Tripadvisor reviews for them all before I settled on these guys. But I’m so glad I did – from the moment we got on the boat you could tell the crew were all there to have a great time as well.
We headed out to Hastings Reef shortly after everyone was on board. Our first stop on Hastings Reef was 1770. Once we got there, we got into the stinger suits they’d given us all, and we could also grab a wetsuit. The kids all did grab a wetsuit, but Debbie and I decided not to – the water was 26º and it was just perfect! The crew gave us an orange rescue ring to take in the water so we could use that as kind of a “home base” for the kids. It was a great idea, and we were really appreciative of it – but in the end, it just became too much of a hassle to worry about. And I think it actually made the kids rely on it too much. They each had a life vest on, which was all they really needed. Once we were finally in the water and swimming out to the reef (just a little way away from the boat), it was just too beautiful for words. It’s one of those things that you’ve seen photos and videos of for years and years – but you don’t really appreciate the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef until you see it first hand yourself.
After about an hour or so in the water, we hopped back on the boat for a really delicious lunch: satay chicken and rice, a veggie risotto, and a really wide variety of salads. It was all so delicious and there was so much – had to remember that we still had a second reef to go swimming in!
The second part of Hastings Reef we visited was called Split Bommies, and it was only a 10-15min cruise away. This time around, we all just hopped in the water together without the life ring as a home base and just enjoyed swimming around and looking at the beautiful reef. This reef had quite a defined edge to it, and it was quite amazing to just watch the fish come and go along the edge of the reef. It felt like we had less time out here – but I think the time just went quicker now that we felt a whole lot more comfortable snorkelling together.
I think there’s definitely an advantage to having snorkelled before – you would certainly feel a lot more confident, and so those first time uncertainties would disappear, and you’d be able to enjoy the first reef much quicker. And although we absolutely loved experiencing the reefs with the kids, you can definitely appreciate how incredible the experience would be when you just have to look out for each other, rather than three small humans as well! I think both Debbie and I can’t wait to be able to go back and do our own Great Barrier Reef adventure together at some point in the future. But that’s taking nothing away from how amazing this was as our first time there!
We hopped back on the boat and as we headed on the two hour journey back to Cairns, one of the staff members took us through a really fascinating talk on the Great Barrier Reef, coral, and the fish of the reefs. It was great to understand more about coral bleaching and how climate change is damaging the Great Barrier Reef. Although coral bleaching is a big deal and can damage coral, it was good to understand how it occurs – but more importantly, that it doesn’t mean coral is dead (which some simple discussions on the topic can leave you thinking). The overwhelming majority of the coral has rebounded from the extreme temperature events in 2016 and 2017, and it’s strong and healthy again!
We’re all definitely exhausted after such a long day – but it was easily one of the most exciting and special days of this holiday.
We saw a manta ray too! Something that apparently doesn’t happen very often. Very cool